Posts Tagged ‘gratitude’

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

1. REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS DONE. God is inviting us into a lifestyle of expressing thanks and praise to Him. We have a lot to be thankful for! God sent Jesus to rescue us from sin and death. The most precious gift you have is your fellowship with God. When we give thanks, we’re acknowledging God has done something for us!

2. REJOICE ALWAYS. When the flood of ‘93 hit our church, I knew not to thank God for the flood but still thank Him in the midst of it. Not everything comes from God, but He will use everything and work it together for good (Romans 8:28). Christians who encounter trials, press on through it, and learn to rejoice are in a much better situation than the murmuring, whining person.

And there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:4

3. REPLACE COMPLAINING WITH PRAISE. Instead of worldly talk, empty chatter or coarse jesting, we are supposed to fill our mouths with praise. Maturity helps us, if we’ll listen, to develop an attitude of gratitude. When I was younger I used to go to God petitioning and complaining first. But I have adjusted my prayer life to fit God’s Word: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4a). Saturate your prayer life from beginning to end with thanks and praise. Thank God that He sent us Jesus. Thank Jesus for saving you. Thank God that He hears and answers prayer. Thank Him for His promises. Thank Him in advance for the breakthroughs you are anticipating. Thank Him that things are going to turn out for good. In everything give thanks!

I’m so thankful for Jesus!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

PRAY THIS PRAYER:
God, I thank You for Your faithfulness through all the mysteries of life. Thank You that Your mercy endures forever (Psalm 136:1). You are a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). I invite You into my good times and hard times. I trust You to work things out. Thank You for Your grace and for Your mercy that triumphs over judgment! I love You, Jesus! Amen.

thank, verb
To express gratitude to. To give credit to whom credit is due. To deeply appreciate for blessings received.

As He [Jesus] entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. Luke 17:12-16a

1. THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE’S DONE. Ten men were healed, but only one turned back to give thanks while the others were so excited they took off to re-enter society. We don’t want to be part of the group that forgets to be thankful. Thanksgiving week is a moment for us to pause, shake off an ungrateful heart, and start to celebrate and count our blessings.

2. DEVELOP THE HABIT OF THANKSGIVING. Complaining is contagious, but so is thankfulness. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4a). Thank God going into your prayer, thank God in the middle of it, and thank God at the end. Get in the habit of praising and thanking God.

3. GRATITUDE TRANSFORMS US. When we’re thankful, we push aside indifference and deepen our appreciation for what we have instead of being constantly aware of what we lack. Start to thank God for what He has done in your life. Say it out loud, even if you can barely get the words out. As we begin to praise and thank the Lord, we are transformed from murmurers to praisers, from being self-absorbed to being reflective of who God is and how capable He is to take care of our every need. Self-pity is ugly. Gratitude is beautifying.

Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright. Psalm 33:1

Thank You, Jesus!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

DAILY CONFESSION based on Psalm 118
I give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting. The Lord is for me; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord. This is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it. You are my God and I give thanks to You!

I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every blessing that is ours in the Messiah. Philemon 1:6 ISV

Ac•knowl•edge v. To admit the existence, reality, or truth of; to recognize as being valid or having force or power; to express thanks or gratitude for.*

Jesus has done something so great—we have so much to be thankful for. Getting saved is the best feature of your life. And now you’ve been given the mission to communicate this amazing truth of the gospel of Jesus.

But how can we spark a hunger in others if we’re not really excited about what God has supplied? How can we be joyous about it if it’s dull to us, or inform people if we aren’t familiar with it? That’s why we need to delve into the Scriptures and find out what God has done for us. We have been blessed with every blessing that heaven has itself (Ephesians 1:3). We could spend a lifetime discovering and understanding what those amazing blessings are.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

You don’t have to “feel” spiritual in order to be used by God. As you press through the attack of the enemy and stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit, you will have moments of impact that can precipitate change in a family, a neighborhood, a region.

People can tell you’ve been with Jesus, not because of your superior speech but because of the authentic presence and power of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). God has given you the heart of a conqueror (Romans 8:37), so shake off the heaviness, fear, and doubt and be ready to intercept broken lives.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:19